Method for fastening sheet material to supports



R. TEMPLE Filed April 20, 1949 METHOD FOR FASTENING SHEET MATERIAL TOSUPPORTS Jan. 19, 1954 1 INVENTOR. 05527 7Zm 45.

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Patented Jan. 19,1954

' METHOD'FOR FASTENING SHEET- MATE- RIAL 'ro SUPPORTS Robert Temple,Swissval Velocity Equipment, 1 corporation of Delaw e, Pa., assignor toTemple 1110., Wilmington, Del.,' 2.

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AppIicationA'priI 20, 1949, Serial No. 88,559

1 Claim. 1

Thi invention relates to a method and means for fastening sheet materialto supports, and more particularly to such connections which are formedwith the use of explosively actuated driving tools.

The connecting of two members bymeans of a metal stud shot into themfrom a gun-like tool is well known; Where the outer member is thin,under certain conditions there is a danger of the stud passing entirelythrough it and injuring someone on the other side. Also, where sheetmaterial exposed to the weather is fastened to a support, there, isdanger of leakage of rain around the stud that extends through thesheeting.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a non-leakingconnection for fastening sheet material to a support, and which can bemade by shooting a stud: from. a tool without danger of the stud passingentirely through the members that are to be connected.

In accordance with this invention a metal stud extends through sheetmaterial and: into a support behind it. The outer portion of the studalso extends through a soft metal sealing, member that engages the outersurface of the sheet material. The stud has a head which generally moreor less engages the outer'face of a washer mounted on the stud inengagement with the sealin member. Engagement of the head with thewasher prevents the stud from passing entirely'through the sheetmaterial in case the stud misses the support. In order to cause thesealing member to form a good weatherproof seal around the stud, a nutis screwed onto the head and turned tightly against the washer tosqueeze the sealing member into sealing engagement with the sheetmaterial. The stud is driven into the support at high velocity by beingshot from an explosively actuated driving tool. The washer may be placedin the muzzle of the tool and held against the sealing member engagingthe sheet material. The sealing member preferably is solid before thestud is driven through it.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a vertical section through adriving tool barrel and the members that are to be connected together bythe stud shown in elevation inside the'barrel; Fig. 2 is a verticalsection through the completed connection; and Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe connection.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the barrel i of the driving toolmay be of any suitable form, the one shown being a part of the tooldisclosed in my copending patent application, Serial No. 34,542, filedJune 22, 1948, now Patent No. 2,479,431. The barrel is mounted in abarrel guide orsleeve 2 and has a threaded rear end screwed into abreechblock 3. The breechblock is provided with an axial passage 4through which a firing pin" 5 can be projected. The front end of thebarrel is formed by a muzzle cap 6 provided with an internal shoulder Ihaving an inner diameter that is slightly less than the axial bore 8through the barrel. The rear end of the axial bore is enlarged slightlyto receive a loaded cartridge 9, therim of which is clamped between thebreechblock and the rear end of the barrel. The front end of thecartridge case is compressed around a forwardly tapered rear portion iiof a one-piece piston, as shown in Fig. 2 and in my copending patentapplication, Serial No. 43,746, filed August 11', 1948, now abandoned.In other words, the front end of the case is tapered and engages theforwardly converging surface of the piston; The front portion i2 of thepiston is cylindrical and fits slidably in the barrel directly in frontof the enlarged rear end of bore 8'. The cartridge contains theusualcharge of powder which is detonated by the firing Attached toth-e frontof the piston by a separable connection is a metal stud it which is tobe driven out of the barrel and into the objects that are to be fastenedtogether by the stud. The'connection between the stud-and pistonprefera'bly isa friction-connection, such as is provided by a snugfitbetwe'en an axial projection it on the front end of the piston driveninto an axial opening in the rear end of the stud. This connection notonly holds the stud and piston together'until after the cartridge isfired, but it supports the stud in the center of the barrel the pistonso that the stud can pass through the muzzle cap 6 when the piston isstopped by shoulder l.

The rear end portion of the stud is enlarged to form a head I8 providedwith screw th eads.

zle cap. When the barrel is held vertical, the washer can be held in thesocket by a little greasefirst applied to the washer. The washerpreferably projects from the socket.

This invention is especially applicable to the fastening of sheetmaterial to the outside of supporting members. For example, corrugatedmetal sheets 24 can be secured to vertical or horizontal metal supports25 which may be bars, channels or I-beams. When the sheets are used forroofing, as shown in Fig. 1, they are laid on the spaced supports, andsoft metal sealing members 26 are placed on top of the sheets directlyabove the supports. The sealing members, preferably made of lead, areplaced in the valleys of the corrugated sheets, and preferably havetransversely curved lower surfaces to conform to the adjoining curvedsurfaces of the sheets. The sealing members are substantiallyrectangular when viewed from above before they have been fastened inplace.

As shown in Fig. 1, the washer 2! in the lower end of the driving toolis placed against the top...

of a sealing member 26, and then firing pin 5 is driven down against thecartridge in order to detonate it. The piston. and stud will be driven.,.l diameter heav -metal.washer eagainst.lthe exe--- ahead as soon asthe gases resulting from the explosion in the cartridge build up a highenough pressure behind the piston to enable its flaring rear end to moveforward and expand the reduced front end of the case into the enlargedportion of the barrel bore. This results in the piston and stud having ahigh velocity from the moment that they leave the cartridge. The pistonwill strike the muzzle cap shoulder l, but the inertia of stud [5 willcause the stud to separate from piston projection $6. The stud is drivenin this manner through the washer, sealing member 26, sheets 24 and themetal support 25 until the head of the stud strikes the top of thewasher, as shown in Fig. 2. If the stud accidentally misses the support,by being too far to the side, there will be no danger of the studpassing completely through the corrugated sheets because the washer willserve as an enlarged head that will prevent such a thing from happening.The washer thus serves to limit penetration of the stud into whatevermaterial it is driven.

Although the stud normally is shot out of the tool with sufficient forceto cause its head to gain the washer down against the lead sealingmember and thereby squeeze the latter between the washer and corrugatedsheet, a good seal generally will not be formed unless a nut 27 isscrewed on the threaded head of the stud and turned down tightly againstthe washer to cause it to press the sealing member into sealingengagement with the corrugated sheet. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thiswill tend to spread the central portion of the sealing member laterally.It also will cause the lead seal to seal any crack that otherwise mightexist between the stud and the wall of the hole it pierced through themetal sheet.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained theprinciple of my invention and have illustrated and described what I nowconsider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have itunderstood that, within the scope of the appended claim, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated anddescribed.

I claim:

The method of fastening sheet material to a solid support, comprisingplacing a solid soft metal sealing member against the side of saidmaterial opposite to said support, placing a large posed side of saidmember, shooting a stud with a small diameter threaded head into thewasher and sealing member and sheet material and said support far enoughfor the head to substantially strike the outer face of the washer, andthen screwinga nut on said head and tightly against the washer to holdthe sealing member in sealing engagement with said sheet material, thewasher forming an emergency large head for the stud if the shooting studaccidentally misses said support, whereby the washer will prevent thestud from passing entirely through the sealing member and sheetmaterial.

ROBERT TENDPLE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,365,869 Temple Jan. 18, 1921 1,365,870 Temple Jan. 18, 19211,652,648 Swangren Dec. 13, 1927 1,984,117 Davis Dec. 11, 1934 2,050,047Febrey Aug. 4, 1936 2,166,041 Cox July 11, 1939 2,253,916 RichardsonAug. 26, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 105,560 Great Britainof 1919 636,479 Germany Oct. 9, 1936 584,177 Great Britain Jan. 8, 1947

